Importnat & Interesting Facts About Italy

Italy is a European country surrounded by France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Vatican City and San Marino. Here are some interesting and fun facts about Italy.

Interesting Facts About Italy

• Italy is officially known as the Italian Republic.
• Italy is shaped like a boot.
• An average Italian eats half a pound of bread per day. They also drink about 26 gallons of wine a year.
• Italy is home to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was built on unstable soil which makes it lean.
  
• Italy has the lowest birthrate of any European country.
• Italians drive on the right hand side of the road.
• Italy spent $US33.1 billion on the military in 2008.
• 87.8% of Italians identify themselves as Roman Catholic. However, only about 37% are active members of the church.
• Italy is the fifth most popular tourist destination in the world.
• The most popular sport in Italy is soccer (football). The national team won the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
• Cricket is slowly gaining in popularity in Italy. They are currently ranked 27th in the world.
• Over 600,000 Romanian immigrants live in Italy.
• Opera was created in Italy.
• Italy holds the record for the country with the most elevators (lifts).
• The official currency is the euro. Before 2002, it was the Italian lira.
• Rome is the capital, and largest, city in Italy.